Grade Level Content Expectations are an obviously important part of Michigan education. Teachers must teach the expectations that the state has set out for each grade level. Students are tested on their knowledge during the MEAP, which then affects whether or not the school meets AYP under NCLB. If the teacher has taught the GLCE’s and done her job “correctly” ie: teaching to the test, then her students should pass the MEAP and their school will successfully have met the federal guidelines.
After being in the schools now for about 2 years as an intern, I have come across a few interesting experiences regarding the Michigan GLCEs. Firstly, I was in a parochial school last year and the teachers did not have to abide by the GLCE’s because they were not federally funded and did not have to meet AYP (although the students still took the MEAP- I think so that they could switch to public school and have their records show that they took the MEAP). The teacher I was with did look at the GLCE but she did not seem phased in the least that she was not going to meet all of them by the end of the year (she also had a split classroom which would have made meeting both years of GLCEs nearly impossible). This year I am in a kindergarten and the teacher has expressly stated to me that she switched to the kindergarten age level because she was tired of teaching to the test in the older grades. Unfortunately she doesn’t really look at the kindergarten GLCE’s except during professional development meetings where the k-3rd teachers get together to discuss curriculum. I know that she has made lessons after these meetings based on the GLCE’s but she does not refer to them daily or weekly. She absolutely hates teaching to the MEAP and she gets very heated when she looks over the GLCEs. She feels that many of the kindergarten GLCEs are too hard for five year olds. In some cases I might agree with her, such as the science GLCEs which want teachers to introduce the concept of tides and lunar changes. Although, the majority of the GLCEs deal with things that I feel are attainable when done slowly throughout the year. It might be hard to teach students to write a “brief personal narrative”, but as they progress through the year they should be able to illustrate and make an attempt at writing a sentence or two beneath their picture that describes their narrative.
I strongly believe in UDL- universal design for learning. This system says that you should teach in a variety of ways to help not only your struggling students but those who you didn’t think would be helped. This ties in with differentiated learning/teaching- the teacher must provide information in a variety of ways so that all learners understand the material.
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When I read your post and your teacher's frustration with GLCE's and questioning how credible they really are, I thought of my CT as well who is having the same problem with the standards as well. She was originally in a 4th grade classroom and was switched mid year to a 1st/2nd split room. The change for her was very drastic and her only real resources of where to base her curriculum was in the GLCE's. However, when she reads them, she feels that they leave out important aspects to teaching such as making an environment in the classroom that will create model citizens in society and being able to expand on ideas and discuss them more thoroughly. She feels that since NCLB was passed, the "art" of teaching was essentially lost and that the standards are holding teachers back from lessons they would like to pursue or try in their classroom. She feels many teachers are afraid for their jobs not only because of the current economy but also because they are expected to meet the standards each and every year with entirely different groups of students. In a sense, I agree with her. I feel teachers will be able to shape the lives of young students under the right circumstances, but in some ways I feel there is a point where things can be "too" standardized. I guess for now, the trick is to find a medium between meeting the standards and being able to explore new and engaging ideas.
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